Chapter 163
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Chapter 163
It couldn't be. I had posed the question convinced it would be a denial. Yet, to my shock, Kaiden affirmed it.
"Yes. You must recognize me. After what you've done to me. It makes no sense that you wouldn't."
The displeasure in his voice sent chills down my spine. His tone was saturated with resentment and a sense of betrayal toward me.
He was unmistakably Jenath, wearing Kaiden's face.
Was this a dream...?
I couldn't believe it. What had happened to Kaiden? Was this really the barracks where I had fallen asleep?
Jenath, observing my bewildered expression, pointed at his chest with a finger.
"Kaiden is sleeping inside here. I can only move directly when he enters a state of sleep or unconsciousness."
"What—how! Then Kaiden is...!"
The moment clarity returned to my mind, I found a flare round, loaded it, and aimed it at him.
This couldn't be happening. How could he possibly be alive? And in Kaiden's body, no less!
Jenath rose from the bed and stepped back. I slowly pulled the lever down and placed my finger on the trigger.
"You're going to attack me with that? How could you, when this body isn't even mine?"
Jenath let out a mocking laugh. I kept the flare trained on him while biting my lower lip hard.
"Our descendant is perfectly fine, so there's no need to be afraid. Hah..."
Mid-sentence, as if struck by self-loathing, Jenath exhaled an irritated sigh.
"Damn it. All I can do is speak within the behavioral patterns our descendant would exhibit and say things he might say. Everything else is restricted."
"What do you mean by that?"
At that moment, Silver Earthworm crawled up my body and clung to my forearm. The creature bared its teeth sharply, threatening Jenath.
"How dare you place a servitude contract on me...!"
"A servitude contract?"
"I don't want to speak of it myself. Ask our descendant."
Jenath replied with a self-deprecating expression, sighing once more. His face made clear he would say nothing further, no matter what I asked.
"Why did you come here?"
Jenath shrugged with an indifferent expression.
"I wanted to let you know I'm alive. How does it feel? Did you really think killing me would be so easy?"
He mocked me thoroughly. I wanted to strike his face.
"Our descendant deceived you about my survival, didn't he? Doesn't that sting?"
"Did you come here to sow discord?"
"Something like that. I still can't understand it. How everything fell apart because of you. So I want to know why. Personally."
What nonsense was this?
Of course, even if Kaiden hadn't told me that Jenath's soul remained, I was certain he hadn't done it to betray me or stab me in the back. It must have all been for our sake.
To sow discord, one must read the other person. I glared at Jenath.
"Does Kaiden know you're here?"
"No. He'd cause a scene if he did. So Margaret, I'd prefer it if you didn't tell him about our meeting."
"Am I insane?"
To my question, Jenath simply stared at my face without answering.
I couldn't fathom what he was thinking. His expression was unreadable. I didn't even know what he hoped to gain by coming all this way to find me.
Then his face suddenly became drenched in humiliation. Jenath ground out his words as if chewing them.
"Our descendant has awakened, damn it. How did I end up in this state just by meeting you...."
Jenath glared at me as though he wanted me dead. Eventually, I lost my temper.
"Oh, so because I met you! Is it my fault that you died? It's because you're a cursed, worthless piece of human garbage!"
Of course, he couldn't respond to my furious outburst. His eyes slowly closed and his body tilted. I dropped the flare in shock and caught his falling form—or rather, Kaiden's body.
"What on earth is happening?"
As I checked his condition in alarm, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and then his eyes slowly opened.
"...Margaret?"
This time it was truly Kaiden. He stared at me with wide eyes for a moment, then his expression darkened as understanding dawned.
"This is really.... Ha...."
He slowly swept his hair back,
"Manifestation."
He muttered those words.
"Manifestation!"
He cried out in a furious tone, then unable to contain his rage, he rose to his feet and stamped.
"Damn it! That wretched old man!"
He ran his hands roughly through his hair. I watched quietly before calling to him.
"Kaiden."
His movements stopped. He slowly turned toward me. The crimson of his eyes trembled sharply as he looked at me.
His face was visibly rigid with tension—a rare sight that made it all the more striking.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Margaret."
"Jenath didn't die?"
He approached me, then knelt before the bed and took my hand.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"For not killing him completely. This was the best I could do."
The look in his eyes as he gazed up at me apologetically was somewhat pitiful. His lips trembled slightly. I fell silent for a moment, simply staring at his face.
He hadn't been able to kill Jenath. So he had bound him alive within his own body instead.
My heart ached. What could I possibly say? Why should Kaiden have to endure such suffering? Compared to the pain and despair he must have felt all this time, my emotions were nothing.
"You have no reason to apologize to me."
"I'm still sorry. I didn't tell you because I thought it would torment you."
Kaiden was the one who would be tormented by this. He was too deeply connected to Jenath—from that moment of experimentation in his childhood until now.
Kaiden explained to me in detail the contract he had made with Jenath.
So that was why the vengeful spirits had driven lightning into Kaiden's body just before we escaped the Island. Because Jenath was alive within him.
Recognizing my clouded expression, Kaiden leaned his cheek against the back of my hand and looked up at me.
"Don't worry about me. When I die, his soul will perish with me. It's a subordination contract."
I gazed quietly at his beautiful face before asking.
"Are you alright?"
"What?"
"I'm asking if you're alright."
"Margaret, I cannot allow my life to begin and end in Rohade."
He slowly reached out and gently caressed my cheek.
"I must capture everyone involved in The Experiment. Jenath will never die peacefully. I'll make him suffer eternally."
I grasped his hand and met his crimson eyes directly.
"You're right. That matters too. But Kaiden, your safety matters more to me."
At my words, Kaiden's crimson irises trembled. Countless complex emotions flickered across them, beyond the reach of language.
"Margaret, I really like you."
He murmured it like a whisper to himself, then slowly rose from his seat. He gently laid me on the bed and drew the blanket over me.
Silver Earthworm, who had been watching carefully, quickly slithered up to my pillow and coiled into a ball.
Kaiden patted my abdomen gently.
"Sleep now. I'm sorry for waking you in the middle of the night."
He slowly lowered his head and left a kiss on my forehead, then bid me farewell. I watched him leave the barracks quietly.
My mind was in turmoil. Jenath was sealed within Kaiden's body.
Sleep seemed impossible now.
Later, I heard that Jenath, who had been making a racket inside Kaiden's mind, fell silent for days after hearing my final words to Kaiden.
And we would never know the reason why.
* * *
The next morning, the entire Military Camp was in an uproar as Enoch drilled them from dawn.
The knights who had slandered me were causing collective punishment, but I was involved too, wasn't I? Not wanting to be an eyesore, I stayed quietly in the barracks.
"Margaret, are you feeling alright?"
Yuanna, who had just met with the Papal See representatives, entered the barracks where I was resting.
It came at a good time, when my mind was already troubled.
"Where is the Bishop?"
"He returned to his own barracks."
At Yuanna's matter-of-fact answer, I tilted my head in confusion.
Was it just my imagination that Rujeep seemed to be avoiding me?
"How is the Holy Maiden? Isn't she overexerting herself?"
I took Yuanna's hand and asked. She slowly crawled up onto my bed, smiled, and casually lay down on it.
"Yeah, I overdid it, so I want to rest a bit."
No, Teacher. Why here?
"Margaret, lie down too."
"No, I'm fine..."
"Come on, don't be like that."
Yuanna pulled my arm. I was dazed as she dragged me to lie beside her on the bed. Yuanna, resting her head on an extra pillow, turned toward me and gave me a natural, playful smile.
"I wanted to try this once I had a friend. You're my first friend, Margaret."
So when exactly did we decide to be friends?
"Surely you don't have another friend besides me? Do you have friends?"
"No. I don't."
"So we're each other's first friend."
That's right. Over twenty years old and not a single friend—both she and I were quite something.
It sounded like a conversation between social misfits, but I decided to overlook that detail.
Truth be told, I had always harbored a longing for pajama parties with friends back home, so this wasn't entirely unpleasant.
"Margaret. May I come in?"
At that moment, Enoch's voice called out from the barracks entrance.
"Margaret is busy right now."
Before I could respond, Yuanna answered for me. Recognizing her voice, Enoch pushed aside the cloth at the barracks entrance and stepped inside.
As he entered, he froze upon seeing Yuanna and me lying together on the bed. His expression was precisely that of a man who had just witnessed his wife's infidelity with his own eyes.
On the Island, we had slept together on bare earth every single day, but now we were bound by the conventions of civilized society. I scrambled awkwardly from the bed, my face flushed with embarrassment.
Yet Yuanna, unchanged from her time on Alea Island, remained lying down and waved her hand toward Enoch.
"You've arrived?"
Of course, Enoch casually ignored Yuanna's greeting and approached me instead.
"Are you well?"
It was a simple question, but his gaze as he examined my complexion was meticulous. I nodded obediently.
"I'm fine."
The moment my answer left my lips, Enoch pulled me into his embrace. Held against his firm chest, I could only blink blankly.
Enoch buried his face in my shoulder and exhaled deeply.
"Yesterday, we didn't properly greet each other. I'm relieved you're safe."
Hadn't we greeted each other properly yesterday? It seemed sufficient to me. I remained in his embrace, bewildered.
Now that I thought about it, did Enoch know about Kaiden's condition?
Since Alea Island exploded and we crossed through the gate until now, there simply hadn't been time for Enoch and me to speak privately.
But...
I stared awkwardly at the figures visible behind Enoch's back. Knights who appeared to have followed him stood at the barracks entrance, their mouths agape as they stared at us.
"Um, Enoch... you have companions with you?"
Only then did Enoch lift his head and turn around.
And the moment those standing before the barracks made eye contact with Enoch, their faces drained of all color as if they had seen a ghost. What on earth had his expression been like?
"Do you have something to say? I told you not to follow me."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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